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Easy Beef Bowls

Updated / Originally published / 78 Comments

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These easy beef bowls are a quick and delicious Asian-inspired recipe that makes the perfect weeknight dinner. Ready in about 30 minutes!

closeup of Asian beef bowls

These beef and rice bowls are Korean-inspired, but I do use hoisin sauce which is technically Chinese. There's many similar recipes floating around on Pinterest these days, and I can't believe I didn't put my own twist on this recipe sooner. That beef is just so good. Most of the recipes I've seen just use brown sugar and soy sauce, but I love the taste of hoisin sauce. It provides a depth of flavor that makes this dish taste extra special. 

This meal has quickly become one of my favorite quick dinners. I don't always have time to re-make stuff that I post on the blog since I'm always coming up with new recipes, but this one will definitely be on repeat. 

Just a note on serving these ground beef bowls - you don't need to top 'em with sesame seeds like I did. Turns out that ground beef is not the prettiest thing to photograph, so I was desperately raiding my pantry trying to figure out how the heck to make the bowls look more appealing in the photos. The photos you see are my third attempt at photographing this dish. πŸ˜› 

Love noodles? Try my ground beef ramen bowls if you want a similar recipe!

two ground beef bowls served with rice

What kind of beef to use?

I prefer using extra lean (at least 96% lean) ground beef for this recipe because then you don't have to worry about draining the fat. It's also an easy way to manage calories with less effort. 

What is hoisin sauce?

According to Google, hoisin sauce is "a sweet, spicy, dark red sauce made from soybeans, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and various spices that's widely used in southern Chinese cooking". I always keep hoisin sauce in my fridge. If you've never bought it before, it's quite readily available. You can find it in the Asian section of most major grocery stores. 

How to make ground beef and rice bowls

  1. In a skillet, brown the beef until it's cooked through.
  2. Stir in the sauce ingredients.
  3. Add the chopped red pepper and cook it for a few more minutes until it's tender-crisp. 
  4. Serve over rice and with the optional garnish. Easy!

A few recipe tips:

  • You don't need to go out and buy sriracha sauce just for this recipe if you never use it, but I do like the flavor it adds. I didn't add a lot since I'm not great with spice myself, but you can always add more if you want to give this recipe more heat.
  • I added a red pepper for color and a bit of freshness. If you don't like red pepper, you could leave it out - it won't break anything. 
  • To easily grate fresh ginger, store it in the freezer! This way I never run out of fresh ginger, and it is much easier to grate.
  • You don't have to serve this dish with rice. Try cauliflower rice, quinoa, or serve it with other veggies. Or just eat it with a spoon straight out of the pan like I maaaay have done when I first made it. 
  • This is the type of recipe where you can definitely adjust the sauce ingredients to taste, so don't be shy!
  • This recipe can be ready in about 15-20 minutes if you use Instant Rice.

Other ground beef recipes you may like:

Asian beef and rice bowls

Will you give these easy Asian beef bowls a try?

Questions? Ask me in the comments below. πŸ™‚

closeup of ground beef bowls
4.96 from 25 votes
Print

Easy Beef Bowls

These easy beef bowls are a quick and delicious Asian-inspired recipe that makes the perfect weeknight dinner. Ready in less than 30 minutes!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian American
Keyword Asian beef bowls, ground beef bowls, Korean beef bowls
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Author Natasha Bull

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked rice I used white jasmine rice
  • 1 pound extra lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • Garnish (optional): scallions, sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Cook the rice according to package directions. If you have a different amount you usually make for 4 people, just make your usual amount.

  2. Meanwhile, add the beef to a skillet over medium-high heat and break it up with your spoon as you go along until it's cooked (approx. 8-10 minutes). If there's a lot of excess fat, drain it.

  3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the sauce ingredients (sugar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, ginger, and garlic).

  4. Reduce the heat to medium and return the pan to the heat. Add the red pepper pieces. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, until the peppers are tender-crisp.

  5. Serve the beef over the rice and garnish as desired.

Recipe Notes

  • To easily grate fresh ginger, freeze a whole piece. It grates much easier and you'll always have some on-hand. This is the handy tool I use to grate/zest it.
  • If you don't have sriracha sauce, you can leave it out. If you love sriracha, don't hesitate to add more than 1 teaspoon!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Natasha says

      Glad you liked it. It has one pop up ad (the video one). No other popups unlike many other sites. Ads are how I earn my living to provide you with free recipes.

      Reply

    • John says

      5 stars
      Your loss. One of the best recipe blogs anywhere. She provides so much content I don’t begrudge her earning something from it. And this recipe is delicious 🀀

      Reply

  2. Kati says

    5 stars
    This was delicious! I used ground bison because it’s what I had and, I must say, I have a new recipe to add to my rotation for work lunches! This was so easy and so flavorful!

    Reply

  3. Shalini Persaud says

    This is absolutely delicious I sauteed the ground beef with sesame oil, added shredded carrots along with green peppers and it was dynamite. Thank you

    Reply

  4. Rich LaFarge says

    4 stars
    Just made them Beef and rice bowl. My wife and I loved it. We need more sauce so next time , I may double the sauce recipe plus add a cup of chicken sauce. It is going into my weekly rotation.

    Reply

  5. Courtney says

    5 stars
    Love this recipe - nice to do something different with beef other than taco's or pasta! I didn't have hoisin sauce in the house so just added a little extra soy and peanut butter and it gave it great flavor πŸ™‚

    Thanks as always for your quick and easy recipes! Enjoying trying them out.

    Reply

  6. Beth says

    5 stars
    Wow, these were so easy!!!! Like, I can’t believe how easy it was! I used red peppers and topped with green onions and they looked sooooo good- pretty and delicious. This will be a regular dish in my house.

    Reply

  8. Tammy Vela says

    5 stars
    My whole family really loved this meal, and they're SUPER picky.... they do NOT try to coddle me when I cook. They rate everything on a 1 to 10 scale and they rated this an 8.75. For context, nothing has received higher than a 9 at my house. πŸ˜‚ This will go in our rotation for sure!!

    Reply

  9. Becky Black says

    5 stars
    This was sooo easy and tasted so good! With the stores being low on a lot of items during this time, I didn't get green onions, fresh ginger root or red bell peppers. I was able to find yellow bell peppers and scallions. I had a jar of dried ginger at home.
    My husband was in the kitchen peeking at what smelled so good while I was cooking.

    This is definitely a keeper!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      I’d just mix it with the rice and maybe add some lime juice over top? If you liked the recipe, perhaps you could use low sodium soy sauce next time. β™₯️

      Reply

  12. Karen says

    5 stars
    Such a fabulous easy dinner Natasha! This was done in record time! And so much flavor. My kids loved it. Great recipe!! ❀️❀️

    Reply

  16. Marga Seneres says

    5 stars
    Super love this one of my favorite recipes ever πŸ™‚ Very easy to make! I am a huge fan of your Natasha and my IG bookmarks are filled with your recipes ❀️

    Reply

  17. Amy says

    5 stars
    This dish was so good. Looking for advice on making it and freezing it or making the sauce ahead of time so the kids can quickly throw it together.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      So glad you liked it!! Hmmm... you could try freezing the beef and sauce once it's cooked. I'm not entirely sure if it would work, but I think it's worth a try!

      Reply

  18. Jude Brotherton says

    Wow! Made this for dinner tonight. An absolute winner. The teenager proclaimed it the best thing she's eaten in ages & wants it again at the weekend! Thank you for a super easy & delicious meal. πŸ™‚

    Reply

  19. Emily says

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and really enjoyed it! I love the hint of spice from the sriracha too. I wonder how this would be with ground turkey?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      So glad you liked it!! I had a couple of readers on IG tell me they made it with ground turkey and liked it. ☺️

      Reply

  20. Yvonne says

    Making this for the umpteenth time! This was an immediate hit with us. My husband is very picky and this has gone into a regular rotation. We usually serve it over cauliflower rice. The flavour is great, i almost always have the ingredients on hand, and it is amazing leftover the next day for lunch. Oh...my husband throws some crushed peanuts on his for a little extra crunch. Thanks for sharing your recipes!

    Reply

  23. Kim says

    5 stars
    I rarely eat meat, so I made this tonight with beyond beef. Cooked it the exact same and turned out AMAZING!!! I also added broccoli and left off the rice. So good!!! Your flavors are just amazing!!!

    Reply

  26. Stephanie says

    5 stars
    This was so delicious and quick! I don't think I've ever had dinner ready that fast before. My partner loved it. 3rd recipe of yours that I've tried - all of them have been hits.

    Reply

  27. Alicia k. says

    5 stars
    Obsessed with this recipe- I have made it 3x now! So so tasty, easy for weeknights, and very popular at my house. Super glad I found you on instagram!

    Reply

  28. Wati W says

    5 stars
    I made this last night and it was a hit!! So easy and fast and Delicious and tasty!!! Instead of rice I ate it with lettuce (just like PFCheng’s lettuce wraps).

    Reply

  29. Kim says

    I just came across your website a couple of days ago. I have made 2 dishes of yours, and my mom has made 1. Excited to try this one tonight!
    Also super handy that you’re from Canada β€” I can actually find the ingredients! (From Calgary!)
    Thanks for these amazing recipes!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Maria! I currently have the Lee Kum Kee brand in my fridge. I'm in Canada, so what's sold where may vary per country. I like the brand I mentioned, but I'm not too picky and I typically just buy what's available at Safeway.

      Reply

  33. Kenai says

    5 stars
    This was a hit! My husband and 3 kiddos truly loved it. Quick and easy is what I look for. Under 30 minutes. Thank you!

    Reply

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